A listener of Joy FM, Seidu Abdul Gafaru, has narrated the ordeal his family went through with the National Ambulance Service (NAS) when his brother was knocked down by a car.

According to him, his brother, Seidu Mohammed had a head injury as a result of the accident and was rushed to the Damongo Government Hospital. 

However, upon reaching the hospital, they (family) were told he needed to be rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

According to him, their real ordeal started when the crew manning the ambulance which was to transport his brother demanded GH¢700 for fuel.

An amount, Seidu said the family did not have readily available. 

Seidu said his brother was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Tamale Teaching Hospital

“He was on a motorbike and a car knocked him at a particular junction. So he had a very terrible head injury.”

"So we had to rush him to the Damongo Government Hospital and they told us they cannot do anything about it unless we rush him to the Tamale Teaching Hospital but the ambulance crew demanded for fuel which cost about GHC700 and we didn’t have the money readily available to pay,” he said on the Super Morning Show.

Seidu Abdul Gafaru said his brother died at age 26. 

“He was a brother to us and was into farming and construction,” he told host, Kojo Yankson on Tuesday.

Also, touching on the last conversation he shared with his late brother, he said his brother asked him to take his academics seriously and take care of their mother. 

“He called and during our conversation, he told me that he loved our mum and that I should learn hard and take care of my mum. Those were his last words to me before he had the accident the following day.”

This came up during a discussion on the morning show about the service delivery regime of the National Ambulance Service.

On Monday, NAS' Chief Executive admitted that officers demanded GH₵600 from the husband of a pregnant woman before agreeing to transport the patient.

The patient, 30-year-old nursing mother, Augustina Awortwe, died whilst in transit due to the delay on the part of the officers of the Service.

Prof Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria, who took his turn before the ad-hoc committee constituted by Parliament to investigate the incident, justified the charge of GH₵600.

According to him, it is standard practice.

“Because it was around the festivities, we were told they had exhausted their fuel. A communication went to the hospital that they didn’t have enough fuel, therefore they will need GH₵600 support of fuel.”

“According to the crew, they were assured that they could move because the hospital was going to arrange either directly or indirectly with the family of the patient to get the fuel support. So the impression was that the husband of the patient was going to provide that support,” he said on Monday, July 18. 

He further added, “so they left the hospital with the understanding that they would pick the husband who was going to provide the fuel support. They arrived at the point of picking up the patient’s husband and they discovered that he didn’t have the money for fuel.”

This development, the CEO explained caused the delay.